When I was in college majoring in Photography we were required to turn in a self-portrait with almost every assignment. This was probably the most difficult part of each assignment in my early courses for a couple of reasons. First, I was required to use manual focus and turn in RAW images to show that no processing had been done. Second, each image had to be different while exhibiting personality. At first it was almost painful, but by the time I got done with school I was thankful that I had been forced to put myself out there in front of my camera and my peers.

I think most photographers I speak to can agree that we would much rather be on the other side of the lens, but taking self-portraits forced me to think outside the box and constantly come up with ways to exhibit my personality.

I was going through my old portfolio from college and had an idea. What if I asked my blog readers to do the same? What if they submitted images to me and I could offer a free session to the person who exhibited the most creativity? We’ve all taken a photo of ourselves at some point (you facebook folks know who you are) and I thought it would be fun to see what you guys could come up with.

Here are the rules:

- The image can be captured on any camera in any format. (Point and shoot, mobile, polaroid, SLR, film or digital – it’s up to you!)

- Describe how/why/when you took the image of yourself. The explanation can be a few short sentences or an essay. We’re working on the honor system, so take your own photo and do your own processing!

- You may do your own retouching, but I’m not judging based on attractiveness or blemishes. I’m looking for people to get creative and have fun!

- Please limit your submission to one image only. The photo must be a self portrait and can not include anyone else (this includes animals). If you would like to combine a succession or series of images, they must be contained within one file. In other words, short storyboards are accepted and welcome – just don’t send me 5 different files.

- I will select the top finalists based on what I feel are the most creative and compelling images. The finalists images will be displayed on this blog for my readers to vote on.

- Winner will receive a free 2 hour portrait session at the location of your choice within the Los Angeles/Orange County area. I will accept submissions from anyone in any location, but the winner must be available to schedule their shoot within Los Angeles or Orange County between May 1st and August 1st. I may even make an exception and shoot in San Diego, if you can knock my socks off. (and impress my readers)

***A SPECIAL NOTE***I will be in NYC from April 5th to April 12th, so if you happen to win and want your shoot to take place in NYC, I will absolutely schedule our session together during these dates – just be sure to note that when you submit your entry.

- The winner will receive the final retouched images on DVD in high resolution .jpeg format within 30 days of the shoot. You will have the rights to print them as you wish.

- Deadline to enter is March 15th, 2010 at midnight. Voting will take place between March 17th and April 1st. Winner will be announced on April 2nd.

- Please submit your image in .jpeg format (limit the file size to 1MB) to pamela@pamelamastersphotography.com

Here are some of my own past self-portrait favorites, starting with the most recent. I have different reasons for being proud or happy with each of these, even when I wasn’t exactly stoked about how unattractive I may have looked:

(I have a thing for mustaches. Like actually wearing them. This is my “It’s business time!” ’stache.)

(The secret to this one was using two cameras. Gotta love the squishy face)

If you have any questions, email me at pamela@pamelamastersphotography.com

Happy shooting!

I have so many images that I never blogged. I get busy, I get my work done, and then I put my images up on facebook for my clients to show off. It works for us, but not for you folks out there in the blogosphere. Hence the start of my “Stuff I never blogged” series.

The following images are from my newborn session with baby Liam and his parents from October 2009. Enjoy!

Brick building, abandoned warehouse, graffiti, train tracks, overgrown weeds. Check, check, check, check, and check.

Oh, and spending an afternoon after a week of rain to get some fresh air. Check.

I’m doing something a little different. Instead of writing a long intro to this pictorial, I’m just going to throw these images out there.
So, this is Signal Hill recording their newest material with Jeff Lewis at The Compound.

Aside from these images of the Compound’s official guard kitty, everything else is in black and white.

I’ve been shooting a lot of headshots lately. Specifically of dudes. Even more specifically of dudes needing to look like they could be taken seriously.

Sam Maccarone is a man of many talents. For Christmas, a mutual friend of ours gifted him a session so he could update his portfolio to show his more serious side.

Ian’s employer recently requested a shot of him for their newsletter. Ian pulled out the Hugo Boss and we met up one afternoon for a quick session. Simple, straightforward, and a face to match a name under the employee directory.

Ruby, Bolo, Punk’n, and Zuki at Kit Carson Park

Zuki

Punk’n

Ruby

Bolo

I’m a lagger, but only when it comes to this blog. The way I figure it, as long as my clients/friends are receiving their photos on time, it’s okay to skip out on blogging to catch up in other facets of life once in a while. In my case, my focus has been spending time with my Husband, getting in shape, and hanging out with people who inspire me…people like my friend Anne.

When I got married, certain life situations happened in the months before our wedding outside of me and Dave’s relationship that caused me to eat my way through the emotional stress. The day of our wedding was lovely because we were surrounded by the people we love, but putting on my gown was a different story. I had gained over 20 pounds in 3 months.

A year and a half later, I’m happy to announce that I’ve turned my life around and I’m stronger than ever, physically and emotionally.

One day, I pulled my wedding gown out of the preservation box and put it on. Yes, I even tightened my own corset (although it was pretty heinous looking). Much to my own shock, the gown was pretty large. I called Anne up and begged her to shoot a session with Dave and I. I wanted to put my gown on once more before it was more than 3 sizes too large!

So that’s what we did this afternoon. Anne will reveal more at a later date, but I can almost guarantee you’ve never seen a trash the dress session quite like this one….

A couple that skates together, stays together!

These images are straight out of the camera, with no retouching or special effects. I have to mention this because I’m absolutely thrilled and thankful that Anne would give us a sneak preview within ONE HOUR after the end of our session. Anne, you never cease to amaze me!

This next shot is for my sister, Bubba. No, that’s not her real name but I’ve been calling her that for so long it may as well be. She was an amazing gymnast when she was younger (she’s all growns up now) and I kept thinking about her throughout the day whenever I wanted to laugh (outside of Anne or Dave initiating it!) or give Anne a smile that only my little sister could draw out of me. Bubba played such an integral role in helping me turn a new leaf and she was so supportive every step of the way. In the face of adversity, our relationship grew stronger than ever. Sisterhood is a powerful thing. I felt it appropriate to honor her, and push myself to try something I couldn’t do when I was feeling unhealthy. Not my most graceful moment, but I know she’ll love it.

p.s. Bubba, I landed it!

*All images copyright Anne K. of The Paper Stylist, don’t copy them!

I don’t think I want to live to see my 92nd year on earth. If, perchance I happen to, I want to live a life kinda like Irving Penn. Artist, traveler, multi-industry noted photographer….the dude lived a full life.

R.I.P., Mr. Irving Penn. I value your contribution to fashion and commercial photography, and appreciate your perfectionist approach to finding the beauty in simplicity.

What started as a “History of Photography” course in school, ended as an experience where I was given the opportunity to really sit back and appreciate Photographers such as Mr. Penn. It’s a sad day when we have to say goodbye to such a gifted artist, but I’m thankful that his work will continue to live on and inspire people, myself included.

P.S. – I heart hatchet lighting.

*all images copyright Irving Penn

…that can help you forget that you were just rear ended twice, in twenty minutes, within the same 747 feet of road.

“But what the hell were you doing on Sepulveda at 2:30pm on a Friday, Pamela?”

Well, I was trying to avoid traffic. I know, in Los Angeles that just never works. I really should have known better. I don’t even really want to get into my two accidents, both of which seem pretty sketchy at this point. A word of advice, when you rear end someone who owns a nice camera, don’t try to drive off after they question why you don’t have your license on you, and ask to please hold while they call the police. Duh, I’m going to take a photo of you, in your car, driving away in an attempt to avoid being held responsible for your own stupidity.

I digress. (As I often do, I’m a woman full of tangents)

So needless to say I got home in a foul mood. Thankfully, putting the cards from a days work in the reader feels a lot like opening presents, even if I already know what the contents are. I can’t think of any other time in my life when I got home and laughed at the first image I clicked on after having the kind of day I’ve had…

Cute tookus, Liam! I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the same room as your folks when they bust this out in front of your first serious girlfriend. I mean really, it could be MUCH worse. Believe me, I’m part of the army of photographers who enables parents to build their arsenal of embarrassing photos. It’s not bad. Adorable even.

Thankfully, I’ve got Liam the Little Man to cheer me up. I’ll explain more later, but let’s just say that if there were a “Strongbaby” competition somewhere on the face of this planet, Liam would take 1st place in the push/pull competition. He’s not even 4 weeks old yet…

Thank you Liam, Janice, J.D., and Anne, for reminding me that my day didn’t completely suck.

More to come, if I ever get off the phone with my insurance company.

At this very moment, somewhere in the world, there’s a sassy blonde on the way to Italy to live the more romantic life. For now, there’s a lonely “cheeky suite” missing it’s sassy blonde. Before Amber said goodbye to her little bachelor pad me and Anne had at it with her on a Saturday afternoon in Hollywood.

The three of us ladies set out to shoot a session where Anne could really focus on her boudoir ideas. Each idea was an equal collaboration between the three of us, but if you ask me, Anne really shined during the bedroom scenes. Please check out her blog to see her shots. I’m ecstatic that Anne has decided to return to the world of photography, and focus her creative talents on her work behind the lens.

I met up with Amber and Anne one afternoon at the Farmers Market and discussed her shoot over treats and window shopping. During our planning session, Amber and I realized we had a lot more in common than we ever thought possible. When I saw this kitchen, I saw baked goods and an apron. So did Amber…

At first I thought Amber had this smile on her face because moments earlier, she had answered the door for “Mr. Sexpot Neighbor Man” in this ensemble.

Nope. Amber’s got a sweet tooth. Like, a really, REALLY, REALLY crazy sweet tooth.

I love the light in Amber’s bedroom….

When you live in a building that offers a panoramic view of Hollywood and beyond, you have to take advantage…

While not wearing pants.

Amber had this bowtie choker that went with her wardrobe perfectly. It’s like this thing was waiting for this shoot, on this day, with this model.

Right before we took this shot, Amber was having trouble opening the bottle of spirit glue she needed to glue her ’stache on. I used a stepladder to smash the bottle, at which point Amber took the little applicator brush, dipped it in the glue on the ground, and exclamed, “I’m gonna stick this on my face!”. We were in stitches until we wrapped a few minutes later.

Amber, may you enjoy showing the rest of the world your secret ’stache. Good luck in Italy!